October 10, 2011 4:51 PM

California gov. signs bill banning open carry of handguns

By
Lucy Madison
Topics
Campaign 2012

(Credit: CBS/Getty Images)
Updated: 5:04 p.m. ET

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday signed a bill banning the open carrying of handguns in public, making California the fifth U.S. state to do so.

California State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who authored the bill, told Hotsheet in an interview that the law was a natural way to prevent gun violence.

Citing instances where law enforcement members are called out to investigate individuals carrying guns, Portantino said "men and women in uniform are put at risk unnecessarily when they're called out to investigate" open carry proponents.

The Democratic assemblyman also noted that "law enforcement came to us and asked us to solve this problem."

"Law enforcement professionals believe that the current loophole is a prescription for disaster - and I side with the law enforcement professionals who believe that their men and women in uniform are being unnecessarily being put at risk," he said. 

The law, Assembly Bill 144, makes it a misdemeanor to openly carry an unloaded handgun on one's person in specified public areas. The law will be enacted on January 1st, and offenders will face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Portantino argued that the bill would also save the state time and money.

"When you take someone's attention away from other duties unnecessarily you're wasting resources," he said. "This bill is going to protect law enforcement, it's going to protect the rights of families and it's going to save the wasting of resources."

Gun rights activists have protested the bill as violating Second Amendment rights, and Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly described the bill as an "unconstitutional assault on our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms."

"The Democrats in the state have decided that they want to undermine and erase the Second Amendment," he said in an interview with Hotsheet. "All they ever do is infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens."

He added: "We live in a free society - and that involves risk. I would rather have added risk to my life and live free and accept that than have the government try to solve every teeny little problem."

At least one pro-gun rights group has promised that, in the wake of the law's passage, Californians "had better get used to seeing these same law abiding citizens carrying their rifles and shotguns."

"This law being billed as a public safety issue when NO public safety was ever an issue," wrote the group "Contra Costa Open Carry" in a statement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "If the liberals are scared of seeing a law abiding citizen carrying an unloaded handgun in a belt holster, they had better get used to seeing these same law abiding citizens carrying their rifles and shotguns."

The group said it was "deeply disappointed" about the ban.

The group "Gun Owners of California," too, lambasted Brown in a letter on its website, and accused him of having "wasted a clean record and joined the ranks of his fellow anti-gun governors."

"Governor Jerry Brown's action [sic] have placed him firmly in the anti-gun camp and anybody who says anything different must be basking under the light of a midnight moonbeam," writes Sam Paredes, executive director of the group.


Add a Comment See all 63 Comments
by GollyRojer October 12, 2011 9:18 PM EDT
"...and it's going to save the wasting of resources." Oh, good; I would hate to see the wasting of resources go away.
Reply to this comment
by fredhoef October 15, 2011 12:02 AM EDT
Now fast forward to Seal Beach Cali. and the terrible mass murder. Add a couple what if. What if the sight of one citizen having a visible sidearm casued the murderer to not enter What if the man in the car had a weapon and caused hestiation of the murderer.

And what if one of the citizens had a legal permit and durng the hestitation shot the killer. What if one or all were safe becasue of visible weapons. California constitution states I have a right to defend my self and property, I carry that to mean a duty to defend. How long did ittake for 011 to get police on sight? Oh all had been shot by then, But what if? Thank Moon Beam for worrying about wasting resources.
by smittyc October 12, 2011 5:53 PM EDT
California has been dysfunctional in every aspect of government legislation for several decades. From men walking around in high heals and dresses to people screaming about the environment, the state has drawn the lunatic fringe from the rest of the country. Brown is no exception, he demonstrates his dysfunctional behavior by wasting time and taxpayor dollars on mindless legislation while the state of California goes bankrupt. Cmon Brown, address the economy, address the real criminals, stop grand standing for publicity. Focus on real issues, your political life is over in less then four years do something for once in your life that makes a real difference.
Reply to this comment
by AOCGUY October 12, 2011 12:03 PM EDT
OK, Maybe I am a little slow here. So now it is illegal to open carry (too dangerous) but concealed carry is just fine. Did I get that right?
Reply to this comment
by wardove October 12, 2011 5:40 AM EDT
this is bs , where do i live now? getting sick of this control shat.
Reply to this comment
by naksuthin October 12, 2011 4:27 AM EDT
The NRA wants to sell guns to suspected terrorists and mentally unbalanced people...then tells the rest of us to buy guns to protect ourselves from the terrorist and unbalanced people.
Hmmm. That sounds a lot like a mafia tactic called "paying for protection"
Reply to this comment
by smittyc October 12, 2011 6:03 PM EDT
The first thing Hitler did as Chancellor of Germany is he took all the guns from the public. The second thing Hitler did was cook the Jews in ovens, 5 million men women and children. Since the dawn of history any civilization that put total trust in a government with no means of challenging that government has suffered like the Jews did during the 1940s. Wake up folks, recognize you cannot have blind trust in anything.
by dickkahrs October 11, 2011 5:55 PM EDT
This law is just another step toward total gun control. Here's a list of gun control advocates:

Adolph Hitler
Idi Amin
Benito Mussolini
Leopoldo Galtieri
Ferdinand Marcos
Muammar El Qaddafi
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Ayatollah Khomeini
Fidel Castro
Pol Pot
Joseph Stalin
Mao Tse-tung
Kim Jung-Il
Reply to this comment
by naksuthin October 12, 2011 4:16 AM EDT
We'll at least those guys did SOMETHING RIGHT
by Goofer-Buddy October 11, 2011 10:48 AM EDT
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang,,, oooppps I missed.... It's a good thing I have a 50 round clip in my gun..... Bang Bang Bang Bang........

oooooooooo
oooooooooo
oooooooooo
oooooooooo
oooooooooo
Reply to this comment
by Phaenius October 11, 2011 12:31 PM EDT
ooooooooboy that was a stupid thing to do,perp. KAPOW (with my magnum I carry - later on due to Brown...used to carry)in reply to the usurper's multi round clipped weapon criminals above now carry in appropriate spite of the law that forbids the righteous wannabe law abiding citizen from protecting himself.
by Phaenius October 11, 2011 10:20 AM EDT
Open Letter to Dear Brother Brown,
I understood you signed a bill that forbad open carry of firearms in your state. In that of all places, the correct way to live as free citizens according to our Federal Constitution, was maximum self defense for the citizen, which your state, surprisingly, seemed to have allowed, I was completely taken back by your recent action, and have begun to lose all hope for you and your state.

It does not matter concerning state rights; it is the PEOPLE who are to be maximized in their safety, NOT YOUR LAW ENFORCEMENT. It should have been THE PEOPLE THAT YOUR DRACONIAN POLICE FORCE EVEN IF SPACED OUT ONE PER SQUARE MILE could not protect within the 5-10 minutes before they could be contacted and reach the besieged citizen were they to be accosted by usurpers of their rights to life, liberty or possessions, that should have the right to the LIBERTY to protect their LIVES, even possessions, which their lives depend on.

Governments according to John Locke in his Second Treatise of Government have ONLY the responsibility to protect the LIVES, LIBERTY, AND POSSESSIONS of the people for their own good WHEN THEY ARE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM...meaning they need to be able to send REINFORCEMENTS to bolster the righteous citizen two or three above the number of usurpers that are besieging the citizen as he is holding out against them with his own weapon of self defense, if perchance, the one or many perp against citizen ratio has more strength than the victim were it up to but hand to hand combat. But it is more than likely the perp has better firepower, the advantage of surprise, than the citizen in the first place so that even armed, while able to hold out for a few minutes, he would still need to have the assistance of government in THEIR RIGHTOUS AIM AND PURPOSE.

You and/or a majority of your LAW ENFORCEMENT (?)people obviously do not understand your rational purpose for existence and that of God's which is that governments are not to be a terror to good works (such as preaching against homosexuality death-style by any wise person for the benefit of the ignorant sex pervert who might be somebody's kid)but to the evil. When you deny the citizen what your so called LAW ENFORCEMENT can never promise to do, and that is PROTECT the security of the people, even by allowing them God given rights to self defense, and that MIGHT be even against roguish and rebellious government if you continue your socialist takeover, you become the aggressor, the rebel seeking the mastery over the people even as your consideration for the tender feelings of your LAW ENFORCEMENT advisors that keep requesting you to protect them at the expense of the people.

Look at the general aim for government, who are to use the FORCE OF THE COMMUNITY, somebody's Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, Brother or sister desiring to be a PUBLIC SERVANT as well as being in reality the SERVANT OF GOD who ordains the authority that the Christian/or anyone must submit to provided that authority is NOT a terror to good works, and see the priority, it is the LIFE, LIVERTY, and POSSESSIONS. Public or private property owners (third as possessions on the list when such is prioritized) should NOT have the right to deprive another citizen of LIBERTY, the freedom to do that which is right such as be able to defend one's self), for the sake of LIFE. Your quest for mastery over the people has surely blinded your natural mind and responsibility to be a SERVANT and especially of being GOD'S servant to protect the righteous people so they can go about doing their own charity and educating their own children, which government usurpation or entanglement in religion by so taking the people's responsibility to do their own charity and to educate their own has distracted governments all over from their primary goal OF using the FORCE OF THE COMMUNITY to protect the lives, liberties and possessions of the people.
I am NOT against your LAW ENFORCEMENT or the FORCE OF THE COMMUNITY made up of some citizen's mother, father, son, daughter, brother or sister, because that IS the one and only aim of government, not charity or education. But I am against your depriving the people of their God given rights. And hereby am chastening you on this.
I am actually afraid to come to California, EVER, knowing I would be deprived of my 5-10 minute self protection when you deny my right to carry a gun, or to carry one in such a manner that deter crimes, by open carry. For the sake of the people of California and for your visitors PLEASE RECONSIDER your arrogant, rebellion against the people's rights and again come into compliance OF THE REAL LAW OF GOD allowing the people to protect themselves...for right now YOU are the offender of natural law.
Reply to this comment
by naksuthin October 12, 2011 4:18 AM EDT
OK so now you are against LAW ENFORCEMENT just because they were getting outgunned by the Criminals.
Sounds like you and the criminals are on the same side.
by AmeicanCustom October 11, 2011 4:22 AM EDT
What is that idiot Jerry Brown going to do about the criminals carrying concealed? Nothing!
Those are the ones we all have to be concerned about.
What BS gun violence has occurred with the open carry of guns unless they were in the hands of a criminal who Jerry the idiot and other libtards do love to give a break to by punishing the law abiding gun owners.Just when we thought California couldn't become a bigger a democrat and liberal cesspool it always out does itself once again.
Reply to this comment
by J_o_n_C October 11, 2011 9:34 AM EDT
@GOP

Do you not know how to "google?"

"That's what happened here in Memphis on Wednesday afternoon when a travelling jewellery salesman (sounds like a hazardous occupation to me), with a legal concealed carry permit from Alabama, was approached by four men intending to rob him."

"At least two of them men were armed and the odds weren't good for the salesman. But he managed to shoot and critically injure two of them, sending the other two scuttling into their white Ford Fusion and fleeing the scene."
by Fatesrider October 11, 2011 1:01 AM EDT
I'll be happy to let anyone who is in a "well regulated militia" standing in defense of our free state to open carry all they want. That is both the intention and the wording of the second amendment.

But he bozos and losers who engage in overt testosterone replacement therapy through the offices of Dr.s Smith and Wesson seriously need to get a clue as to the damage their expression of their "rights" does to society.
Reply to this comment
by Phaenius October 11, 2011 12:40 PM EDT
FATASSRIDER - I actually know the damage this expression makes to the rights...no...the arrogancy of the perp who does not respect law especially my Life, Liberty or Possessions, especially when all the law enforcement folk can send out is the more expensive forensics teams and cleanup folk when Law enforcement CANNOT come out until it is too late...were the citizen not be able to defend himself because government disarmed him...for a criminal will not respect the law.
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